


Blind Date

by iloveitblue



Series: Prompts [282]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Daddy!Clint, Fluff, M/M, No SHIELD, daddy!Phil, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:39:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4588164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveitblue/pseuds/iloveitblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where they're set up by their children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blind Date

**Author's Note:**

> Meryl has a friend. 

Even only after one week of living in the new town, Meryl had a friend. It’s amazing sometimes how outgoing Meryl is. She even has a college picked out, and savings in the bank to help Phil pay for college if her scholarship ever fell through. Phil could not have asked for a better daughter because Meryl is already perfect. 

“Pardon? I think I misheard you.” Phil narrowed his eyes over his paper and the breakfast table. 

“Jason, dad. My friend?” Meryl said, her spoon halfway to her mouth.

“Uh-huh. And is Jason the name of a boy, or a girl?” Phil asked. 

Meryl rolled her eyes fondly, “A boy, dad. And he’s coming here later so we can work on our biology project.” Sensing the panic in Phil’s face, Meryl talked over him when he tried to comment. “We’re making DNA strand models. We’ll be doing the project in the dining room. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

Phil snapped his mouth closed and nodded. “If you say so, honey.” 

Meryl stood up, gathered her plates, and dumped them all in the sink. She walked around the table and gave Phil’s head a kiss. “Bye, dad. See you later. Oh, and please tone down on the ex-ranger thing when you meet Jason. We don’t want another Mandy incident.”

“Technically, sweetie, that was their fault. You think people would have taught their children to only point a gun down or up when not facing a hostile, but no.”

“Just…” Meryl knew it was futile to argue about this. “Just ease up on it, kay? I need to go. I’m gonna be late. Bye.”

“Bye, sweetie.” Phil waved. 

So. Meryl’s friend was a boy. This Jason boy could be a horrible person, for all Phil knew.

—

Jason is a truly wonderful boy, and Phil would be happy if he took Meryl’s hand then and there. A little too much, but it doesn’t stretch far from the truth. Jason is a courteous young man who knows where his hands are supposed to be at all times. He’s confident, charming, and very respectful. He even offered to help cook dinner once they were done cleaning up the project pieces for the day. 

He even knew his guns. He admired Phil’s gun, and didn’t touch until he was told he was allowed, with a careful sort of fascination that made Phil just want to keep talking to the boy about his gun. 

When Jason went home, he declined the offer of a ride home, saying that he doesn’t live that far and could probably just walk it. 

“Why don’t you bring more of your friends over? I like them.” Phil said, once the door was closed.

“Not all of them are like Jason.” Meryl teased.

“They don’t have to be. I trust you’re a good judge of character and won’t befriend riffraff and scalawags.”

Meryl laughed as she headed for the kitchen. “High School students aren’t pirates dad!” She called out.

“You don’t know that!”

—

Phil caught Jason staring at an old poster of Captain America in the living room and he just had to ask.

“Are you a fan?” 

Jason grinned at him before turning back to the [poster](http://www.efxcollectibles.com/images/Product/medium/180.jpg). “I guess you could say that.” 

“You sound unsure.” 

“Yeah, well. I didn’t have the cleanest of motives learning the trade secrets of the Sentinel of Liberty.” Jason shrugged. “I mean, I know them, but I’m not like an actual fan. You know?”

“Then why bother learning the trade secrets?” 

Jason grinned again, this time cheeky. “To piss off my dad. He’s a giant Iron Man nerd and one time he pissed me off so bad that I went ahead and learned everything I could about Captain America just to prove that Iron Man was not, in fact, the best. Hit him where it hurts, you know?”

Phil bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. “How’d he take it?”

“He didn’t back down. I still don’t have enough knowledge to beat him because he always pulls the Civil War card.” Jason sighed. “I hate when he does that.”

“Okay, first: Captain America surrendered in that fight. Second: before he did, he had Iron Man pinned down with the suit in shambles. Third: That is hitting below the belt.”

Jason rolled his eyes and added a snort. “Tell that to my dad.” And then, as if he thought of something brilliant, his eyes widened a fraction and he tensed. “I gotta- um- I gotta get back to Meryl. So, I’ll just-” And he was gone.

If later that night he found Meryl and Jason whispering then giggling to themselves, Phil was sure it wasn’t anything he should be worried about.

—

“So… dad. How’s your love life going?” 

Phil tried not to die from choking with his coffee. “What?” He asked his daughter as he tried to calmly wipe his mouth.

“Your love life. Do you have one? Or is life already so exciting with just the house and work?”

“Where do you get your sass, because I’d very much like to cut off that supply.” Phil rolled his eyes at her.

“Just answer the question, dad.”

“Life is already so exciting with just the house and work, sweetie.” He answered with a passive tone.

“Great, so you’re not seeing anyone. I’ve already-”

“Wait, how do you know I’m not seeing anyone. For all you know I’m already seeing-”

“-set you up with someone. Oh please. If you were, trust me, I’d know-”

“-someone. What do you mean you set me up with someone? Who?”

“-for sure. And don’t ask me who dad. That’s going to ruin the surprise.”

Phil raised a hand to stop the overlapping conversation that was starting to make his head hurt. “Okay. From the top: What did you do?”

“I set you up on a date with a single parent that I happen to know is awesome for this Friday night.” Meryl said proudly.

“Do I know this person?” Phil kneaded the sides of his head.

“No, but you have heard about him.” Meryl grinned. 

“Why did you think this was a good idea?” Phil ignored the pronoun, and chose instead to focus on what the hell his daughter was thinking, setting him up on a blind date with another single parent.

“Because, dad. You need someone in your life again. I know I make you smile and stuff, but I’m not enough, am I? You need someone to be beside you, to make you laugh, to love. And if setting you up on an unwanted blind date is what it takes to get you back in the dating scene, then so be it.” 

Phil sighed but in the end he nodded.

—

The doorbell rang and Phil messed with his collar once more in front of the mirror. It’s fine. You’re fine. You just have to get through this night and Meryl will probably shut up about the dating thing. Probably. Phil breathed in deep and quietly let it all out before finally opening the door. 

“Oh wow.” The man said as soon as he laid eyes on Phil. “Um- Sorry, I mean- uh, Is this the Coulson residence?” The man looked just about as nervous as Phil felt, so he’s glad about that one. 

“Hey, Mr. Coulson!” Jason greeted from behind the man. “Dad, this is Phil Coulson. Mr. Coulson, this is my dad, Clint Barton.” 

Phil held out his hand and Clint took it. “Nice to finally meet you, Meryl has told me so much about you.” 

“Really? ‘Coz Jason would not give me a single detail about you.” Clint blinked.

“Yeah, no. Sorry. My daughter has told me absolutely nothing about you.” 

“Okay, we get it. Nobody told anybody about anything. You can both go on your date now. Crissy’s already started the first Harry Potter and we’d really rather not miss the staircase scene.” Meryl piped up behind Phil and smiled at Clint. “Hello Mr. Barton.” 

“Hi, Meryl.” Clint greeted back. 

“Okay, now, shoo. Go on. Go.” Meryl shooed them away and pulled Jason inside the house. “And remember to get him back before curfew or you won’t be seeing much of my boy in the future, do you hear me, young man?” Meryl actually leered at Clint.

Phil resisted the need to groan and chose instead to roll his eyes. Clint though, he gave Meryl a grin and a mock salute before replying with a “Yes, ma’am.”

And then the door shut in their faces. 

In Meryl’s version of the story, she stayed out in the patio as she waved them both goodbye, with a handkerchief pressed to her cheek to wipe away the single tear falling from her eye.

In Jason’s version of the story, well, he doesn’t have a version because as soon as he was inside the house, he made himself comfortable in front of the TV and their other friends. 

But really, it doesn’t matter which version of the story was used, because as we all know, this was just the beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> [Here on tumblr](http://promptmephlint.tumblr.com/post/126840497251/i-was-not-made-to-have-a-social-life-okay-three)


End file.
